Second, the statistical database is less complete and less refined for processed fruit and vegetables that
for fresh fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, in the case of fresh fruit and vegetables, the RICA sampling
poses a number of problems of representativeness in the small production regions. We do not possess a
representative and homogenous sample for industry and trade. Moreover, the Amadeus database is not
always entirely reliable with regard to either the allocation of companies in the nomenclature or the
transcription of accounts. Even when the nomenclature is correct and the accounts are accurate, the
existence of several activities for a single company (within and outside the fruit and vegetables industry)
can bias the significance of the ratios calculated. In particular, the performances of the companies are
noticeably different in the first, second and third transformation (or even the 5th range - the 4th range is a
part of the fresh fruit and vegetables sector).
Third, in the wholesale food sector, which includes the purchasing centres, activities are diversified and
processed fruit and vegetables represent only one line of the products concerned. Moreover, with regard
to the “purchasing centres”, the real decision-making power is more often than not to be found outside the
regions concerned, a fact which compromises this type of result.
Fourth, certain macro-economic data (R&D) are global and multi-sector in nature and it is impossible to
evaluate a direct link with the fruit and vegetable sector.
Finally, the scoring method leads us to allocate - empirically - a weighting coefficient to each of the
components of the RVI. The value of the score is highly sensitive to these coefficients. It is, therefore,
necessary to undertake an in-depth examination of the results to eliminate certain deviant values. The
scenarios method allows the distortions to be reduced somewhat.
Despite these reservations, it is nevertheless possible to claim that the relative ranking of the European
regions presented in this document reflect real and profound spatial disparities and that the hierarchies
revealed in the intermediate typologies proposed are relatively reliable.
Conclusion
The fruit and vegetable supply chains represent about 100 billion € in turnover and 1 million jobs. The
EU is the leading world importer of fruit and vegetables with about 50% of international trade in terms of
value. However, intra-community trade represents 70% of its imports. The SEMC account for approx. 2.3
billion $, i.e. 6% of the total supplies and 19% of extra-community flows.
The macro-economic focus allows us to indicate that the importance of imports of fruit and vegetables
from other Mediterranean countries is minor: the value of exports from the SEMC to the EU represents
between 2 and 3% of the consolidated turnover of the fruit and vegetable supply chain in the 15-state EU
and twice that (4 to 6 %) in the 5 Euro-Mediterranean countries. The - highly optimistic - hypothesis of
doubling these exports in the context of a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area and pessimistic hypothesis
of stagnating demand for fruit and vegetables should not, in general, have a considerable impact on
European producers.
As our vulnerability calculations show at regional level (nuts 2), considerable inter-regional disparities
nevertheless exist and 1/3 of the Mediterranean regions in the EU currently present undeniable signs of
economic weakness.
At the end of this study, we can hypothesis that the high-income regions will be better able to resist a
competitive shock than the poorer regions. Indeed, the former can invest in the adaptation of their firms to
a new commercial organisation and/or redeploy on a nearby market where there is good purchasing
power, or they can even convert to other activities. By illustrating the relations between SRVI values and
GDP per capita on a graph, it is possible to construct a typology of the 30 European regions studied (next
chart), dividing them into 3 categories:
- Non-vulnerable regions (SRVI < 3 and GDP per capita > average, i.e. 19,045 €)
- Vulnerable regions (SRVI > 2.15 and GDP per capita < 19,045 €)
- Highly-vulnerable regions (SRVI < 2.15 and GDP per capita < 19,045 €).
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